1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a character printing apparatus in which input characters or symbols are printed on a tape or the like. The present invention is preferably applied to a character printing apparatus having a function of printing visual symbols, such as pictographs and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
A tape printing apparatus, which is one of character printing apparatuses, is designed to facilitate preparation of a label originated by the user which is to be attached on a spine cover of a file or the like.
A conventional tape printing apparatus has a key which is provided on an operation panel and adapted to input characters so that a desired character string can be previously inputted by operating the key.
Also, the conventional tape printing apparatus has a tape feeding mechanism by which a tape can be fed and discharged through a tape discharging outlet.
Further, the conventional tape printing apparatus has a printing mechanism, including a thermal head, and a tape cutting mechanism provided in this order on the path for allowing the tape to be fed.
In the tape printing apparatus, when a print instruction key is operated, control means controls the tape feeding mechanism to feed the tape at a predetermined speed, and controls the tape printing mechanism to print the previously inputted character string on the tape thus fed.
Also, when printing of the character string is completed, the control means further controls the tape feeding mechanism to vacantly feed the tape (i.e., to feed the tape without performing printing on the tape) until a portion of the tape on which printing is completed is entirely positioned outside the tape printing apparatus, then causes the feeding of the tape to be stopped.
After the feeding of the tape is stopped, the tape portion on which the character string is printed is cut off by the tape cutting mechanism which is driven by the user.
Thus, a label originated by the user having thereon a desired character string can be obtained.
Meanwhile, in the tape printing apparatus, since the print medium on which printing is performed is a label, visual symbols, such as pictographs, are frequently used as characters or symbols to be printed, compared with the other character information processors. As such visual symbols, composite symbols each obtained by combining a character or symbol with another character or symbol are often used. It should be noted that hereinafter a character or symbol serving as one component of the composite symbol will be often referred to as "subject component character" while a character or symbol serving as the other component of the composite character will be often referred to as "object component character".
In many conventional tape printing apparatuses having a function of preparing a composite symbol, the composite symbol once prepared cannot be altered with respect to each of the subject and object component characters. Specifically, in some conventional apparatuses, the composite character is displayed in the form of a finished composite symbol, i.e., in the form of one indivisible unitary character incorporating both of the subject and object component characters, and accordingly the subject and object component characters cannot be altered independently. In other conventional apparatuses, the subject and object component characters are displayed separately, but they are not allowed to be altered independently. Thus, in many conventional apparatuses, the subject and object component characters cannot be altered independently. Consequently, in conventional apparatuses, the following problem arises. Specifically, if the user deletes the object component character with an intention to alter only the object component character, the subject component character is also deleted at the same time, that is, the object component character cannot be altered solely. Eventually, the subject and object component characters must be inputted again from the beginning.
Further, in the conventional apparatuses of the type in which the subject and object component characters are displayed separately, the following problem occurs. Specifically, assuming that the desired composite symbol is a symbol having a circle incorporating a numeric character therein, such as "4", since the symbols " " and "4" are merely displayed sequentially, the user cannot judge whether the input symbol " " serves as a subject component character or only as an ordinary character.